Prometheus can be narrowed down to two still frames, both of which involve its main star, Noomi Rapace. In the first 30 minutes, a shot captures Rapace’s awe and wonder as she stares at writings that hint of the true origin of the human race; the other–from the final 30 minutes–is of Rapace’s face in sheer terror as she peeks around the corner, cradling an ax in her hands. What began as a thought-proving sci-fi film of Creationism and Darwinism has devolved (pun intended) into a typical horror movie that buries its ideas under a barrage of sandstorms.
The film is a prequel to Alien, but promises no grande appearance of the villainous xenomorphs, which is as confusing as promoting an Exorcist prequel that is devoid of demon possessions. Yet, Prometheus is able to drift away from the Alien formula and stand on its own–and suffer its own set of issues.
The film is one of compromise, clearly fulfilling its obligation that all blockbusters must either connect to an established franchise or spawn a new one. Prometheus accomplishes both–inserting enough references to appease the Alien crowd, while leaving many of the connections unresolved; promising that future installments will fill in the gaps.
The first half of Prometheus is astounding in its craft and execution. Ridley Scott, who helmed the original Alien, is a master of establishing mood. The opening credits engage us in a beautiful series of helicopter shots of a vacant planet, which we believe is a primitive Earth. Unlike Alien, the music here suggests intrigue, not horror.
Fast-forward to the year 2089, a group of scientists discover an ancient archeological writing which reveal the planetary location of a species believed to have created humankind. The scientists set off on a two-year journey on board the star ship, Prometheus. The passengers include archeologists Elizabeth Shaw and Charlie Holloway (Rapace and Logan Marshall-Green), corporate mastermind Meredith Vickers (Charlize Theron), and the ship android David (Michael Fassbender). Their final destination is a desolate gray planet where a buried spaceship holds many secrets.
An early highlight of the movie is a loving tribute to 2001 as the lonely David (playing both the Hal and Dave roles here) patrols the ship during the two year voyage, monitoring the sleeping passengers and ship operations. He bounces a basketball and rewatches Lawrence of Arabia (on one impressive video display) over and over. He even combs his hair to match Peter O’Toole’s. Fassbender’s understated performance is the best in the film; his insatiable curiosity in human-kind never abates. Movies love to give the robots the most human characterizations.
Also impressive is the set design of the Prometheus and the cryptic ship. The vastness of the latter is haunting. The scientists use nifty floating probes that scout the far corners of the ship while returning a 3D schematic back to the Prometheus. The victims of the earlier Alien films would have saved a lot of heartbreak if they possessed such tools.
To reveal more of the plot would be to hinder the surprises. Prometheus’s story (a hushed secret since its announcement) unravels with some unpredictable turns. The discovered ship is the same (we assume) from Alien, but the origins of the crew and its purpose are not as obvious.
The first half of Prometheus is filled with wonder. I soon began to forget the Alien connections and sought the same knowledge as the scientists. At the film’s end many of the questions go unanswered. Some of the conclusions are left to our own imaginations, while others feel like a cheat. It’s forgivable the leave the knowledge of our origins ambiguous. But I left the theater unsure what happened to the damn alien ship.
There are many unresolved subplots such as Vickers (Theron) role in the expedition. Another involves David’s nefarious motives. Is he serving the company or himself? There is also a pointless romantic subplot involving Theron, which will have nerds using a pickup line in singles bars that won’t mirror that same results. “Are you a robot?”
Even with a two-hour running time, Prometheus feels rushed. It attempts to squeeze elements of philosophy, horror and jeopardy into one package. The plot’s surprises lead to some unwarranted conclusions and a even one heroic sacrifice that feels unsatisfying.
The tension is a mixed bag, which mainly involves Rapace fending off a threat in the last half an hour. Does Scott refuse to reuse his back of tricks from Alien or has he simply misplaced them? An earlier scene proves that Scott can still deliver the goods when Rapace learns that she is pregnant with an alien creature and self-performs a nail-biting, horrific surgical procedure. The tension elevates as the removed fetus gains consciousness while Rapace is still trapped in the surgical chamber.
Prometheus is an ambitious mess. In the past, Scott’s movies have fallen victim to heavy editing and changes in post-production. Something tells me that this theatrical cut is not Scott’s preferred vision and an elongated version will make its way on the blu-ray that will flesh out characters and fill in holes. A film this magnificent in scope and imagination lends itself to a three-hour epic. (If Transformers can do it, why can’t this?) Instead, Prometheus feels unfinished and we’re stuck with two disparate images that don’t gel into one package. If you don’t believe the film was compromised, then all you have to do is take a third still of film’s final shot.
Despite its problems, Prometheus is the prequel that no one expected and stretches beyond the limits of the franchise. Scott and company keep the Alien-connection at bay for the sake of making an more original (and expensive) science-fiction film akin to 2001 or Close Encounters. The film does raise questions and broadens the imagination, which is a greatly appreciated refuge from contemporary summer fare that just want to show spaceships go boom. I’m positive Scott would agree that the still shot of Rapace’s wonder is more enticing than the one of her carrying an ax. And I’d also wager the final shot was not his idea.
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